Mask



Feb. 13, 1962 B. B. GIRDEN 3,020,911

MASK

Filed May 24, 1960 Tull- [WWW v j! /6\ I /4 2/4 T f i 24 Z 2% Z5 i ii) 6ATTORNEY United States Patent fiiice 3,020,911 P n d Feb 1. 196.

- Filed May 24, 1960; Ser. No. 31,413

3'Qlain1s. or. 128 141 The present invention relates to useful breathingdevices and in'particular those which minimize the amount of 'or'eliminate residual remaining in such devices after the completion ofthefbreathing cycle by the user. Examplesof such devices areur'iderwater,firefighting, aviator, miner, 'dust, chemically protective and otherbreathing systeinsj In breathing equipment one of the problems which hasnot heretofore been solved relates to the presence of residual air." Atthe end of the breathing cycle, which consists of an inhalation ofpresumably fresh air and an exhalation of air containing waste products,there is left in the breathing systems employed upto the present a greatdeal of such a'ir' containing wastes. Such air is here referred to asresidual air. Aside fromthe wastes (such as CO in residual air, itcontains water vapor which creates tidal yision or tidal blindness,i.e., periodically (with breathing cycles) obliterating vision bydepositing a translucen't'layer over a mask lens or over the userseyeglasses.

Again, the'conventional mask, by making it necessary to keep the mouthwithin the mask, prevents audio communication.

It a primary object of the present invention to minimize, if notcompletely exclude the presence of residual air in the input branches'ofa breathing system and wherever necessary to permit audio communication.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide means to sominimize residual air without introducing complex or expensive devices.i

The above and other aims may be achieved in the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention by means of employing with a face mask or a maskcovering only the eyes and( or nose, which may be used with a source ofgas for breathing either under pressure or at atmospheric pressure andfiltered and not filtered, a mouthpiece consisting of an arrangementadapted to be engaged by the mouth of the user, which incorporates aninlet opening to the interior of the mask to introduce air or oxygen orother gaseous mixture for breathing thereto, an in-opening check valvein the input system proximate the mouthpiece opening and incommunication with the interior of said mask and an out-opening checkvalve similarly proximate said mouthpiece opening in the output branchof said system, said mouthpiece opening being outside said mask.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the present invention may behad by referring to the following detailed description and claims, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawing which illustrates preferredembodiments thereof, it being understood that the foregoing statement ofthe objects of the invention and the brief summary thereof is intendedto generally explain the same without limiting it in any manner.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view partially in section of a mask adapted tocover the eyes and nose of the user, incorporating the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a similar view of a nose mask.

FIG. 3 is a view of a valve incorporated in the mouthpiece of said mask.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the mouthpiece of FIG.1.

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to the embodiment of thepresent invention illustrated in FIG. 1, the same comprises a mask whichmay be used as a swimming mask or as a mask for land use, adapted tocover the eyes and nose of the user, consisting of a lens around whichthere is a metal rim '9 securing to said lens a r'earwardlyextending'fiexible flange 11 adapted to corn tact the face of theuse'rin water-sealing relationship, to which maskthere is afiixed and throughwhich mask there extends an air-input tube 12 in communication with themask at inlet 8, said tube 12 being connected to a source of fresh airor oxygen. Said source of fresh air or oxygen may consist of a snorkeltube "which is in communication with the atmosphere, or it may be a tubewhich in turn is in communication with a tank of compressed oxygen orair or other breathing atmosphere through a step-down measuring valve,all of which is niot shown.

l Positioned outside the mask so as to be engageable by the mouth of theuser is a mouth-engagement rnember or mouthpiece 14 described more fullybelow, in communica iion with a common tube 15 which in turn is incommunication with a closely positioned inwardly opening checkvalve 16,which in turn is in communication with the interior of said mask. Commontube 15 is also closely proximate to and in communication with anoutwardly opening exhaust check-valve 17, which in turn is incommunication with output tube 13. Valve '16 is preferably placed at thelowest point in the mask when the user is in swimming position so thatwater withinthe mask may be sucked inward into the tube and expelledthrough the output tube 13. i i i Hence it will be seen that water orother undesirable liqui dfor gas which enters common tube 15 upon theexpiration portion of the breathing cycle will be forced throughcheck-valve 16 and expelled through tube 13 In the ordinary breathingcycle the user may either breathe inwardthrough his mouth, in which caseair travels from'the interior of the mask through valve 16 into com m'on tubelS, 'and then into the mouth, or may breathe through his nose,in which event the iairpasses directly from the' interior of the maskinto the respiratory system of the user. Upon expiration through theusers mouth, valve 16 of course remains closed and valve 17"opens,'airbeing forced beyond valve 17 through output tube 13. It will be seenthat by the arrangement of valve 16 and 17 the residual air whichremains in the underwater breathing system described is only that amountwhich exists in common tube 15 between valves 16 and 17. For purposes ofclarity the valves have been shown as relatively widely separated. Inpractice the valves may be positioned within one inch of each other sothat at most perhaps a cubic inch or less will remain in the breathingsystem. The users mouth does not enter the mask, and so long as the useremploys the mask properly by not exhaling, through his nose, there willbe no residual air in the mask. Extending rearwardly from flange 11 oneither side are tabs 20 in which are formed slots 21 to provide meansfor engaging a head strap (not shown). The valves 16 and 17 may be ofthe type shown in FIG. 3 consisting of a rigid wheel-like frame 18through the center of which extends a rivet 19 which secures a resilientdiaphragm 20 against the spokes of frame 18. The mouth-engaging portionsmay be incorporated into a flexible tube (not shown) or connected to thecommon tube by a swivel arrangement so that the user may readily turnthe said portions aside and free his mouth for audio communication. Auser may be readily trained to breathe through his nose While socommunicating.

'In such swivel arrangement is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, wherein itmay be observed that mouth-engagement member 14 is integral with asleeve 33 which has an outside diameter substantially equal to theinside diameter of tube 15 and is mounted inside of said tube so as tomake a gas-sealing contact with the walls thereof, tube 15 having a slot32 formed therein through which member 14 extends, said slot being ofgreater extent than the width of member 14 so as to permit the member tobe laterally displaced without disturbing the gas seal. The upper andlower edges 31 of sleeve 33 are enlarged and enter corresponding grooves34 in the walls of tube 15 to provide guide means for the rotation ofsaid sleeve.

The mouthpiece when used for chemically-protective purposes, as a dustmask or by firemen, miners and others on land, may be employed with amask which substitutes goggles (i.e. single lenses for each eye) for thesingle lens of the underwater form described above. When used byaviators, the eye covering may be omitted entirely and there may beemployed only a nose covering with or without an integral mouthpiece.

Such a nose mask is shown in FIG. 2 comprising a rearwardly extendingflange 22 of resilient material adapted to make a gas-sealing contactwith the wearers face. There is integrally connected to said flange afront portion 23 in which is formed an inlet connected to a forwardlyextending air-input tube 24 which may have an air-filter 25 positionedtherein. As in the case of the embodiment of the present inventionillustrated in FIG. 1, there is provided a mouth-engaging member 26which is in communication through a common tube 27 with the interior ofthe nose mask through an outlet 28 in which there is positioned aninwardly opening check-valve 29. Said common tube may have across anoutlet formed therein distal relative said mouth-engaging member anoutwardly opening exhaust check-valve 30.

in obvious fashion the mask of FIG. 3 is employed similarly to the maskof FIG. 1 and possesses the same advantages.

This application is a continuation in part of my copending applicationSerial Number 839,987 (which in turn was a continuation in part of myapplication Serial Number 814,735) both now abandoned.

Although the present invention has been described with a certain degreeof particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has beenmade only by way of example and that numerous variations may be employedwithout transcending the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a face mask dimensioned to enclose at least ausers nostrils and having a transparent window, said mask further havinga first opening defining an inlet for oxygen containing gas and a secondopening,

a mouthpiece and valve housing assembly of very large cross-section andshort longitudinal extent so as to impose minimum resistance to the flowof gas therethrough while containing a minimum volume, said mouthpiecehaving a short length and large diameter and said valve housing having afirst large aperture opening into said mouthpiece, said valve housingfurther having a second large aperture immediately adjacent to saidfirst large aperture and opening externally of said housing and a thirdlarge aperture in said housing immediately adjacent to said second largeaperture and communicating with said opening of the mask, and checkvalves of maximum diameter in said second and third apertures of saidhousing, said check valve in said second aperture opening outwardly ofsaid housing and said check valve in said third aperture openinginwardly of the housing to permit flow through said third aperture onlyin the direction from said mask into said housing and to permit flowthrough said second aperture only in the direction from the interior ofthe housing to atmosphere, whereby the user may breathe with maximumease and rapidity by inhaling oxygen containing gas from the nostrilenclosing mask and by exhaling from the mouth only through said secondaperture of the valve housing, with a minimum amount of the exhalationbeing retained in said housing and with freedom from fogging of saidtransparent window.

2 The combination as in claim 1; wherein said valve housing is in theform of a short, relatively large diameter tube, and said valve housingincludes a circumferentially elongated slot in the wall of said tube;and wherein said mouthpiece projects radially through said slot and isintegral with a sleeve turnable in said tube to permit lateral swingingmovement of said mouthpiece relative to said ,valve housing.

3. The combination as in claim 2; wherein said sleeve has external rimsextending around the opposite ends thereof and said tube has annulargrooves receiving said rims to provide water-tight seals between saidsleeve and

